The 2011 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative ends on Aug. 31, 2011. However, many practitioners still have clients with unreported foreign bank accounts. Is there anything that
clients can do to mitigate penalties? What advice can you give? This program will review the IRS current approach to unreported foreign bank accounts and the IRS' long-standing voluntary disclosure program providing practical tips on how to advise clients with unreported foreign accounts.

Daniel Shaviro, J.D., the Wayne Perry Professor of Taxation at NYU Law School speaking about Fundamental Tax Reform: Can, Should and Will the U.S. Federal Income Tax Be Replaced by a
National Consumption Tax?

Dissatisfaction with the U.S. federal income tax has led to widespread discussion of fundamental tax reform, including the possibility of replacing it with a consumption tax. What different forms could such a reform take? What are the best arguments for it and against it? And what are its political prospects for enactment? Among the alternatives that Professor Shaviro will discuss is a national retail sales tax, X-tax or flat tax and a consumed income
tax, and he will consider how these proposals' chances might be affected both by Congressional politics and by the long-term budgetary problems that the U.S. faces.

Monthly member specials from
CCHAAA-CPA Share You
can always count on new and relevant content from CCH, and, as an association member, you already receive many great benefits from us, including a 30 percent discount on most tax and accounting titles. For August, these include Express Answers 1040 at 60 percent discount, and three brand new Knowledge-Based Audits™ titles at a 40 percent discount. Look for a new selection of specially discounted titles every month! But hurry, August's offers are only good through Aug. 31, 2011. Click here for more information.

Bruised regulators brace for Dodd-Frank court fightsReuters Share The federal appeals court ruling faulted the Securities and Exchange Commission for conducting a flawed economic analysis to support a rule to make it easier for shareholders to nominate directors to corporate boards, a process called "proxy access". The ruling sent shivers down the spines of the SEC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and has them bracing for more court challenges as they strain to complete well over 100
rules called for in Dodd-Frank that was enacted last year.More

Congress' inability to act costs jobs, tax revenueBattle Creek Enquirer Share Congress couldn't agree on whether to cut $16.5 million in subsidies for regional air service, so now the federal government stands to lose more than $1 billion in tax revenue over the next month or so. And don't think that taxpayers will be the beneficiaries of that loss - most of it will be going to enhance airlines' corporate profits. The failure of the U.S. House and Senate to finalize spending for the Federal Aviation
Administration means that the agency will remain partially shut down at least until September, when lawmakers return from their summer break.More

Former White House counsel to IRS: pull media matters' tax exempt statusFox Business Share C. Boyden Gray, former White House counsel to President George W. Bush, filed a civilian complaint with the IRS against the nonprofit Media Matters on July 27, demanding the agency yank its "tax-exempt status." Citing a pattern of "unlawful conduct," Gray writes in his petition, which Fox Business has obtained, that the nonprofit has "executed a partisan strategy" in violation of U.S. tax law as it exists "no longer to educate the
public but, rather, to declare 'war on Fox,'" Gray says, quoting from an interview its founder, David Brock, gave to the website Politico.More

Federal gas tax a looming battle on the hill?NACS Online Share A recent Politico column speculated that the federal gas tax - whose renewal is typically assured with a routine Congressional vote - could perhaps be facing a challenge as it is set to expire Sept. 30. "As the past month of rancorous and intensely partisan debate about raising the debt ceiling has shown, the times are anything but normal," Politico wrote.More

Mobile health elder care apps get fundingInformation Week Share The Center for Technology and Aging will invest a total of $477,150 in five organizations to demonstrate the best ways to implement mobile health technologies for older adults with chronic health
conditions. The one-year grants are partially funded from the SCAN Foundation, an independent charitable organization with a mission to advance the quality of care for seniors. The initiative is also receiving assistance from the office of the national coordinator for health IT's Beacon Community Program.More

Tax benefits for market crash victimsForbes Share A crisis, like a market crash, gives rise to an opportunity, like a tax dodge. The tax strategy of the moment is a form of loss harvesting, wherein you sell loser stocks to get the tax deduction. Act
now to seize the opportunity. It may not last for long. More